Across Europe, 76 percent of respondents reported occasionally concealing their Jewish identity, and 34 percent avoid Jewish events or sites due to safety concerns, an EU human rights agency found. Anti-Muslim sentiment has also surged following the October 7 Hamas attacks and the July 29 mass stabbing in Southport, England.
The number of reported islamophobia and antisemitism cases have surged across several countries, according to a new report by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), the Council of Europe's monitoring body. The findings were released ahead of the International Day Commemorating Victims of Violence Based on Religion or Belief on Thursday (August 22).
"In several states, the number of antisemitic incidents reported in the last three months of 2023 far exceeded the number usually reported for an entire year and in some cases was much higher," the ECRI wrote.
The study also found a "manifold" increase in "hate incidents" against Muslims following the October 7 Hamas attacks in 2023.
"Muslims received blame for the attack and other attacks in the Middle East, based on stereotyping of whole communities and their perceived connections with the use of violence," the ECRI found.
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Escalating antisemitism in Europe
The ECRI, which described antisemitism cases as hate speech, death threats, vandalism, and physical assaults targeting Jewish persons, expressed particular concern over the prevalence of such cases in European schools.
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), meanwhile, reported in July that the continent's Jewish community is facing a "rising tide of antisemitism."
"The spillover effect of the conflict in the Middle East is eroding hard-fought-for progress" in fighting antisemitism, FRA's director Sirpa Rautio said.
According to FRA findings, 74 percent of Jews in France felt the Middle East conflict affected their sense of security, the highest rate among the countries surveyed.
Across Europe, 76 percent reported hiding their Jewish identity "at least occasionally," and 34 percent avoid Jewish events or sites "because they do not feel safe," FRA reported. Approximately 80 percent of Jews surveyed said they feel antisemitism increased in recent years.
Respondents reported experiencing antisemitic stereotypes such as accusations that Jewish people were "holding power and control over finance, media, politics or economy."
In 2023, 4 percent of respondents reported experiencing physical antisemitic attacks within the previous 12 months, a figure that has doubled since 2018. Additionally, around 60 percent expressed dissatisfaction with their government's efforts to address antisemitism.
The survey, conducted across 13 European Union countries that account for 96 percent of the bloc’s Jewish population, included Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, and Sweden.
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Rise in islamophobia
Anti-Muslim sentiment has also been on the rise, with evidence suggesting an increase following the October 7 attacks. In France, home to around 6 million Muslims, 242 anti-Muslim incidents were recorded in 2023 -- an almost 30 percent rise from 2022, according to French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin in February.
Muslims across Europe have been blamed not only for Islamist attacks but also for crimes where no evidence of "Muslim" involvement exists. Following the mass stabbing that killed three children in Southport, England on July 29, false rumors circulated on social media, accusing a Muslim asylum seeker of being the attacker. This misinformation sparked violent riots targeting a mosque in Southport.
Despite police statements that the suspect was born in Cardiff, Wales to Christian immigrant parents from Rwanda, the false assumption that the attack was Islamist terrorism-related persisted.
Far-right, anti-migration riots continued to sweep over Britain, prompting the closure of some migrant support centers. Rioters set fire and broke into hotels used to accommodate asylum seekers in northern England earlier in August, stoking fear among the country's migrant community.
With the European Newsroom ENR project (AFP, Agerpres, ANSA, APA, BTA, dpa, EFE, and Europa Press)